Happy Black Thanksgiving

As Michael Wilbon believes this weekend or the NBA All Star Game for some of us.
No thread? Niche Sport?
LeBron James is only 6 years younger than Kobe? Kobe was never the GM of a team yet he won 5 Championships. Maybe LeBron should follow his lead and win as a player rather than play at GM.

Kobe also lucked into a team that had Jerry West as the GM and an in-his-prime Shaq in the middle.

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LeBron did luck into playing into the weakest conference for almost the entirety of his career. Given his prolific skill set he should have been able to roll out of bed and win the east. He did. LeBron has also had the opportunity to recruit his teammates.
Is it odd that no elite free agent has ever wanted to sign with LeBron?

Kobe also lucked into a team that had Jerry West as the GM and an in-his-prime Shaq in the middle.

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I hate that argument. Hate it, hate it, hate it.
Has there ever been an all-time great player who won multiple championships without at least one other hall of famer on the roster, and usually a HOF coach to pull it all together?
Jordan had Pippen, and later Rodman.
Russell had God only knows how many guys around him.
Magic and Kareem had each other, plus Worthy.
Bird had McHale and Parrish.
LeBron had Wade and Bosh.
Duncan had Ginobili and Parker.
Even Hakeem had Drexler.
Kobe and Shaq had each other.

The same debate goes on with football players. It's stupid. A great player can pull a team to one championship, like Dirk Nowitzki or Dwyane Wade circa 2006. No team becomes a dynasty without a stacked roster and someone capable of managing it all.

LeBron did luck into playing into the weakest conference for almost the entirety of his career. Given his prolific skill set he should have been able to roll out of bed and win the east. He did. LeBron has also had the opportunity to recruit his teammates.
Is it odd that no elite free agent has ever wanted to sign with LeBron?

So your argument is "the league's best player couldn't get the league's second-best player to sign with him at any point"?

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No. The leagues best player as the defacto GM and coach of the Cavaliers, in both incarnations, has failed to create a winning organization. He has maximized his earnings which is personal and appropriate but at the expense of building a winner. His entourage and associates and taken over his team to the exclusion of his teammates and he hasn't attracted quality teammates to join him.

Not a fan of Kobe, but he wanted to win at almost all costs. James wants to win, but only if he gets front office credit too

No. The leagues best player as the defacto GM and coach of the Cavaliers, in both incarnations, has failed to create a winning organization. He has maximized his earnings which is personal and appropriate but at the expense of building a winner. His entourage and associates and taken over his team to the exclusion of his teammates and he hasn't attracted quality teammates to join him.

Not a fan of Kobe, but he wanted to win at almost all costs. James wants to win, but only if he gets front office credit too

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Taking a historically dominant opponent to 6 games in the finals without the team's second- and third-best players = "not a winning organization"? Christ.

James forcing the Cavs hand in front office decisions might fall under the category of his ego getting in the way and thinking he knows more than he does. But it doesn't mean he doesn't have a tremendous desire to win. He's maximized his earnings by investing in headphones and endorsing Samsung and Sprite, not the moves the Cavs made.

James forcing the Cavs hand in front office decisions might fall under the category of his ego getting in the way and thinking he knows more than he does. But it doesn't mean he doesn't have a tremendous desire to win. He's maximized his earnings by investing in headphones and endorsing Samsung and Sprite, not the moves the Cavs made.

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Is he on his 2nd consecutive 1 year contract in order to maximize his earnings and leave open the door to his leaving after every season?